Chapter Two
LEO
The second Eve Gardener steps out of the limo, my cock stiffens so tightly against my jeans that my gums start to itch.
I’m hooked. Like a big-mouth bass circling a shiny lure.
The way her crop top stretches against her tits drives me crazy.
A pair of short Daisy Dukes barely covers her perky ass.
Even Eve’s braced-face smile adds to her sex appeal.
My old man told me I’d have a little sister soon, but he didn’t mention she was a goddamn blonde bombshell.
“Tell me again why we’re doing this?” I ask, inspecting the Gardeners from an inner window. I rarely question my father’s decisions, unless I’m trying to understand what’s going on. We’re father and son, but we’re also business partners. Having a grasp on one another is important.
The mother, Sophie, displays a wide-eyed gold-digging grin. Eve’s less impressed. I’d hazard to say disappointed. The apple fell far from the tree with those two.
“The people of Austin are… familial,” Dad says, raising his glass of scotch under his nose and taking a deep sniff. “If we’re going to solidify ourselves as trustworthy individuals in the community, we have to play the part.”
“Are you sure Sophie and Eve fit that profile?” Even her name fights my strong will. Every aspect of Eve’s existence is temptation. The snake may have tempted both Adam and Eve, but it was Eve, who took the first bite of the forbidden fruit.
“Of course. And Sophie’s desperation to get married made things so much easier.
I don’t have the time to develop any lasting relationships.
Time’s eternal march waits for no man.” Dad shrugs.
“If we want to expand and blast off into the stratosphere, we can’t have anyone thinking twice about our reason for being here. ”
“You don’t think anyone will question the marriage? Won’t realize your marriage is a week-old and was made in a Vegas whorehouse?” I crook a brow. Even our future success, and the dangers that come with it, can’t break my gawking stare at Eve below.
“We’re already in Austin. I’ve already done the groundwork with a few notable members of the community.
A married man with money, talking up his wife and kids?
That’s not going to put us on anyone’s radar.
” Dad finishes his scotch in a single gulp.
“And since we’re here to live and not to work, there’s no reason to vet us. ”
As far as plans go, this isn’t the worst I’ve heard. A few minor bumps may present themselves. Eve’s mountainous tits being one of them. But, we Thorne boys don’t stay down long. If an issue presents itself, it goes away pretty soon afterward.
Dad sets his glass down, and gives Sophie and Eve a final inspection through the window. Sophie’s not a slouch in the looks department, but she pales beside her daughter. I wonder if my dad’s got the same idea rolling around in his head.
“Eve’s a firecracker, ain’t she?” he gives instant confirmation. I love it when that happens.
Come on baby, light my fire by The Doors immediately blasts through my head.
“She’s one hell of a bird,” I say.
Dad gives me a knowing, fatherly smile. One of contemplation and acceptance.
There’s no use denying what’s going to happen.
We don’t speak, but instead we leave the empty room and walk towards the front door.
Someday, this grand space of four walls and windows will be our living room.
For now, it’s little more than a chamber of echoes.
Dad opens the door, perfectly timed to meet Sophie’s first attempted knock against the teak frame.
“There she is,” Dad says, running a hand around the small of Sophie’s back and pressing his lips against hers.
“Now, Tony, you didn’t tell me about any of this,” Sophie says after Dad’s kiss. Her arms wave wildly across the magnificent estate. We rarely stay in one place for long. A year here, two there. Constantly on the move, evading suspicion.
But, we always live in style.
“Some things are better left to the imagination,” Dad replies. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to be slick. I’ve gotta give it to him. It’s working. Sophie winks, before turning to me.
“You must be Leo,” she says.
Turning away from Eve, even for a moment, seems like an injustice to the picturesque goddess standing before me. She’s bathed in sunlight, which amplifies all of her exquisite features. Her blonde hair’s radiant, and her skin’s practically glowing. I want to bury myself deep inside her.
“You’re Sophie, right?” I take her hand and kiss the knuckles. “Where’s Missus Gardener?”
Her brow turns up in confusion. The joke’s lost on her and I reluctantly draw it out. “My dad didn’t tell me Eve had a sister.”
“Why, aren’t you the little charmer?” Sophie slaps the air and winks at me. It comes off as flirtatious, awkward, and a little uncomfortable.
“And you must be Eve,” Dad says, extending a hand out to her. “You’re just cute as a button.”
Cute? Probably a better substitute for the devilish things I’d call her.
Get ahold of yourself, Leo. Eve’s only a woman. Stop being so dramatic.
“Uhm, hi,” Eve replies, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mister Thorne.”
Her voice is smooth and feminine. Like rainbows and puppies and all the nicest shit they talk about in fairy tales. Too bad this is the real world.
“Mister Thorne was my father. Please, call me Tony. And let it be known that today marks the first day of our perfect little family,” Dad says. “I guess with this big hunk of meat, we shouldn’t say little, should we?”
He laughs, Sophie and I join in. Standing at six foot four, and packed with dense, lean muscle, I wouldn’t call myself little either. After the pleasantries and greetings, we move inside. Dad takes his new bride through the house, leaving Eve and me to get acquainted.
“So, you’re my little sister, hey?” I shrug, chuckle, and scratch the back of my neck. Not once in my life have I felt awkward around a woman. Eve Gardener is a damned fine exception.
“I guess.”
The conversation ceases. We stand in absolute silence in the entry hall for a few agonizing seconds. This is a shock to her system. Eve will ease up and settle in soon enough. We humans are resilient like that.
“You want a tour of the house?”
“Maybe my room? I should probably unpack or something.”
Or something. Please God let it involve me.
“Let me show you up,” I say, grabbing Eve’s bags, which the limo driver left at the door.
Typically, we have staff to deal with these lesser tasks. Since we’ve only been in Austin a few days, Dad hasn’t found the right people to work with. Trust is a necessary factor in the games we play. From associates to staff, no one is safe from our scrutinizing gaze into their lives.
“This place is fantabulous,” Sophie’s voice breaks the silence of our ascent up the staircase. Eve sniffs, annoyed at her mother’s comment, but she doesn’t say a word. She just plods along, heavy feet dragging up the staircase and over the red carpet leading to our bedrooms.
“At least we’ve got some distance between us,” I chuckle, nodding over my shoulder at the east wing. Eve and I are set to stay on the west side, the furthest possible distance from our parents.
“I guess.”
That’s the second time she’s killed a conversation with those two words. Deeply frustrating.
“Here we are,” I say, pushing into the room and setting down Eve’s bags. “It’s an old house. Strange construction. Our bedrooms are separated but we share a bathroom, through those doors.”
I point towards the bathroom door to show Eve what I mean.
“Share a bathroom?” She doesn’t sound pleased.
“Yeah, so don’t get any ideas of taking a peek while I’m in the shower,” I add, dashing a charming smile.
It’s not well received by the groan and the disgust on Eve’s face. An accompanying ew leaves her mouth, and suddenly my cheeks feel a little warm. She’s going to be a hard nut to crack.
But, challenging myself is the only way to grow. This uphill battle might be a good distraction from everything my father and I have going on. So why not dabble in the dirty side?
“I’ll leave you to it then.” I leave the room, shutting Eve’s door on my way out.
Life just got a whole lot more interesting, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.
***
EVE
One Week Later
“We’ve finally hit the big time, baby-girl,” Momma says, lazing in a real leather recliner in front of an enormous flat-screen TV. Tony bought both at her request. “We’ve finally got the life we deserve.”
Do we deserve any of this? Spending someone else’s money? People we barely know. It doesn’t sit right with me.
“It’s great.” There’s no point in arguing. Momma wouldn’t listen, anyway. “Are you and Tony getting to know each other?”
“Tony’s a darling,” Momma replies.
Since we moved to Austin, Momma and I spend most mornings together, after breakfast. Sitting around, chatting away, and pretending that this is real life and not some Cinderella fantasy.
“That Leo, he’s a tall drink of water, isn’t he?”
Don’t remind me.
I’m already struggling enough as it is thinking about his incredible physique.
Worst of all, Leo’s got this way of looking at me.
I don’t even think he realizes it. Those golden-brown eyes peer into my soul, trying to discern my innermost secrets.
If I’m not careful, I might spill them. He’s handsome and charming, and he lets me know it wherever possible.
I’ve even caught him walking around our shared bathroom in only his boxers.
I can’t even blame him for that. I’m the one who leaves the door open on purpose…
Leo’s sculpted in muscle, and eager to show it off, but I’m the outsider in his home.
I can’t tell him how to live in his space.
He probably doesn’t even realize I’m gawking at him through half-shut lids, drinking in every inch of his sculpted body.
The thought of Leo roaming our communal space, leaving nothing to the imagination, has my heart melting and my pussy dripping.
Shit, I’m doing it again. Letting Leo invade my personal thoughts.
“He’s your son now; gross,” I reply, pulling a disgusted face.
That makes Leo my brother. Equally as bad. Maybe a little less so. Why am I thinking about any of this anyway? It’s only making my unnatural attraction to him feel dirty. And so hot. And, oh God, please stop this torment.
Bleach. An answer and cure to all life’s dirty problems. If I pour it over my brain, it might clean my head right up. A frustrated groan escapes my lips, and Momma takes it as if it’s meant to go with my words.
“Oh, don’t be silly. We’re not blood.” She winks at me. “And anyway, there’s no harm in window shopping. So long as I don’t touch the goods.”
She giggles like a naughty schoolgirl at a sleepover, gossiping about the boys in their class. I know where she’s going with this. I regret contributing anything to the conversation. A gold-digger with a toy boy fantasy? This is the perfect house for my mother.
“Is there a plan in all of this?” I ask, changing the conversation. She’s practically drooling at the thought of Leo, and I don’t want her to see me doing the same. “Are you really going to spend the rest of your life with Anthony?”
“I don’t see why not,” Momma says.
As good an argument as any.
I’ve got so many questions, but no one’s answering. What do the Thornes do for a living? They seem to be at the forefront of life. They leave in the mornings, and return around noon. A half-day of work doesn’t strike me as the efforts of a business-savvy sort, who can afford a mansion like this.
Hell, the living room we’re in now is bigger than the apartment Momma and I shared in Wyoming.
It might be sparsely decorated, but not being furnished doesn’t take away from the sheer size.
And it’s definitely not like this is some show house just to impress Momma.
Anything our hearts desire is handed to us on a silver platter, as soon as we ask.
A sudden buzzing from under my leg startles me. It’s an alarm set to remind me of my interview this afternoon. The perfect excuse to run away from this chat.
“Time to get ready,” I say, jumping to my feet.
“Ready for what?” Momma cocks a brow, tilting her head at me.
“I’ve got an interview in the city. I feel good about this one,” I say.
“Why even bother? The Thornes are taking care of us,” Momma’s genuinely surprised at my decision.
“They are. But I want to earn what I own.”
I dip out, before I regret the comment. Momma might be willing to accept a free ride from the Thornes, but I’m not. I want my independence, and I won’t be tethered to anyone. This paradise they call life seems like a distant daydream to a simple girl like me.
At the very least, a job will keep me out of the house and away from Leo.
Lord knows I need all the help I can get to keep from cracking.